"Every Character Is Someone's Favourite"

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Often quoted (dunno who originally said it, if anyone) as a reason not to kill off characters in mainstream comics. Can it possibly be true, and are the quoters right?

― Tom (Groke), Wednesday, 16 March 2005 08:22 (twenty years ago)

Well, some characters have to expendable, but a good rule of thumb should be that if there's a significant chance that someone will want to resurrect the character, the character should not be killed off.

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Wednesday, 16 March 2005 13:47 (twenty years ago)

Why not just let them resurrect them? If there's one thing I like more than a good death story it's a cover which says "NO! It can't be - YOU!?!"

OK more seriously my main problem with 'death' as the temporary ending of a character's thread is that there are lots more creative/interesting/ripe with future possibilities ways to write characters out. It does annoy me when people say "oh there's too many characters" when those characters aren't even appearing anywhere regularly.

― Tom (Groke), Wednesday, 16 March 2005 14:01 (twenty years ago)

Story first (as long as it stays true to the characters) (and by "stays true to the characters" I don't mean "keeps them alive").

I imagine when folks bitch about "too many characters", they probably picture this seething throng of bit-players and one-offs pushing against these barriers while the actual story's going on, threatening to streak across the scene holding up a sign that says, "FREE SPEEDBALL"!

― David R. (popshots75`), Wednesday, 16 March 2005 14:15 (twenty years ago)

& while I'm as much a fan of the GASP resurrection as Tom, I'm more a fan of writing (when it's done) (can't think of many places where it's happened) where the writer doesn't resort to Goldbergian deus-ex-machinas re: bringing someone back & just continues the story as-is. Runaways is one example; X-Force / X-Statix, too.

Comic book deaths are usually about the machinations behind the resurrection ("oooo how are they gonna do it?"), not the death itself ("OH NO SUPERMAN IS DEAD").

― David R. (popshots75`), Wednesday, 16 March 2005 14:23 (twenty years ago)

Someone should do a series about St. Peter in the DC or Marvel U. Or maybe just a one-shot.
Just y'know, have him hanging out at the Pearly Gates, getting more and more sarcastic and cynical with each new super or mutie arrival. "Welcome to your Eternal Reward, now featuring a 90 day warranty."

And then when someone gets resurrected (like Hal Jordan, say), "Oh, you'll be back. You've never been able to carry a series."

― Huk-L, Wednesday, 16 March 2005 14:43 (twenty years ago)

This unfortunately reminds me of John Cleese playing St Peter in his horrible yet lucrative series of management training videos.

(Which hopefully nobody except me is sell-out enough to have actually been shown.)

― Tom (Groke), Wednesday, 16 March 2005 14:48 (twenty years ago)

That's why I love the Bizzaro books, because a gag like that would be really lame even in a prestige format one-shot painted by Brian Bolland. But over 8 pages, it would be okay. It's a sketch.

― Huk-L, Wednesday, 16 March 2005 14:59 (twenty years ago)

haha were there any newspaper editorial 'st peter greets latest dead guy' cartoons when superman died?

― j blount (papa la bas), Wednesday, 16 March 2005 17:06 (twenty years ago)

No doubt!

Other signs for Marvel bit-players to hold while running across the Xavier Institute Lawn:

"WILLIE LUMPKIN HAS A POSSE"

"TERRAX IS X-TREME"

"RUNAWAYS IS JUST FALLEN ANGELS IN HOT TOPIC COUTURE"

"SERVE JUSTICE - BRING BACK THE SCOURGE"

"GET A SUPREME INTELLIGENCE MORANS"

― David R. (popshots75`), Wednesday, 16 March 2005 17:10 (twenty years ago)

omg, slight sidetrack (sorry) -

― j blount (papa la bas), Wednesday, 16 March 2005 17:14 (twenty years ago)

OMG! Blount, that was worth the digression!

― David R. (popshots75`), Wednesday, 16 March 2005 17:16 (twenty years ago)

It looks like St Peter is about to marry them!

― Tep (ktepi), Wednesday, 16 March 2005 17:17 (twenty years ago)

That's what comic books lack, you know, helpful labelling. Speedball wouldn't have to worry about being left on the sidelines if he taped a sign to his briefcase that said "SPEEDBALL."

― Tep (ktepi), Wednesday, 16 March 2005 17:18 (twenty years ago)

A match made in Heaven, no doubt!

[xpost]

HI! MY NAME IS: Ronan the Accuser

― David R. (popshots75`), Wednesday, 16 March 2005 17:19 (twenty years ago)

Exposition labelling, too!

I WAS POSSESSED BY THE YELLOW IMPURITY OF THE GREEN LANTERN BATTERY AND WENT EVIL AND SAVED THE WORLD AND BECAME THE SPECTRE AND CAME BACK AND ALL I GOT WAS THIS LOUSY T-SHIRT (PS I AM HAL JORDAN)

― Tep (ktepi), Wednesday, 16 March 2005 17:22 (twenty years ago)

Hawkman would pretty much have to raid the Riddler's closet.

― Tep (ktepi), Wednesday, 16 March 2005 17:23 (twenty years ago)

"Um, excuse me? Excuse me? Yeah, this sticker says I'm the Invisible GIRL, but I've been the Invisible WOMAN for over 10 years. Is there any chance ... no more blanks? Really?" *sighs* "Just give me a Sharpie, then."

*scribbles out GIRL on sticker, looks around surreptitiously*

"Actually, could you tell me if Namor's shown up yet?"

― David R. (popshots75`), Wednesday, 16 March 2005 17:28 (twenty years ago)

"FOOLS! You DARE to sully my lineage by attaching that land-dweller SUB-MARINER appelation to my name! I am KING of ATLANTIS, and you shall acknowledge me as such! Fetch me your finest stick of ink!"

*scribbles out SUB-MARINER w/ a Sharpie, looks around expectedly, sees guy behind the table watching him*

"Air-breather! Make yourself useful and find out if Susan Richards has arrived! Namor COMMANDS IT! (Here is some of your filthy cloth currency to expedite your efforts.) NOW GO!"

― David R. (popshots75`), Wednesday, 16 March 2005 17:35 (twenty years ago)

"Why, Namor, you look so ... regal. I see you're back in your leather outfit."

"Verily! No more shall the Prince of Atlantis prance about in hot pants like the common boywhore!"

"Did you ... change ... your name tag?"

"Namor COMMANDED it! And they were all out of blanks."

"... DOM-Mariner?"

"Namor smash!"

― Tep (ktepi), Wednesday, 16 March 2005 19:44 (twenty years ago)

sixteen years pass...

https://www.thedigitalfix.com/marvel-cinematic-universe/hawkeye-pizza-dog-explained

― When Young Sheldon began to rap (forksclovetofu), Friday, 10 December 2021 14:11 (three years ago)

“Pizza Dog”

(No, I haven’t seen Hawkeye yet. Waiting for the DVDs that will never be produced.)

Fun thread!

― Legalize Suburban Benches (Raymond Cummings), Thursday, 16 December 2021 11:18 (three years ago)

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